Good morning. I have to tell
you, y'all's accents threw me a little bit. I thought everybody
in New Jersey sounded like Clay. I ask you to open your Bibles with
me this morning to Luke chapter 2. Luke chapter 2. Look at verse 25, Luke 2 and
verse 25. I'm just glad that wasn't me.
That happened to me one time a while back. Luke chapter 2, verse 25. The title of the message this
morning is, Where is Peace Found? Where is peace found? And here
we read in verse 25, Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem
whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just and devout,
waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost was
upon him. Behold. Now this word gets used
to draw attention to what's being said. It would be the same as
saying, listen, or sometimes we tell our kids, but pay attention.
If there's something we really want them to hear, we say, listen
or pay attention. And that's what's being said
here. Behold. What we're about to hear
is important. It's worth listening to. Behold,
there was a man named Simeon. Now, this is a particular man. A particular man. His name is
Simeon. And his name, like many names
in the scriptures, it has a meaning. A particular meaning. And Simeon's
name, it means to hearken. It means to listen. In James
1 verse 19 we read, Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every
man be swift to hear. Huh? Swift to hear, slow to speak,
slow to wrath. I don't think we can overestimate
or emphasize enough the importance of listening. I remember Brother
Henry said this, that God gave us two ears and just one mouth. We probably ought to spend twice
as much time listening We always have something to say, don't
we? Back there in the book of Matthew, Matthew 11, 15, we read,
"...he that hath ears to hear." Let him hear. Let him hear what's
being said. Listen, faith, faith cometh by
hearing. And hearing by the Word of God. Hearkening, listening. I pray the Lord might give each
of us here this morning and every time God's people gather together
an ear to hear. That we might hear what He has
to say, what the Lord, the message that the Lord has for His people. That we might be like Samuel
of old. He said this, he said, speak
Lord, for thy servant heareth. speak to me. Behold, there was
a man named Simeon. The same man was just and devout,
waiting for the consolation of Israel." Now, Simeon here is
described much like Job was back there in the Old Testament. There
was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was perfect
and upright. One that feared God and eschewed
evil. Now he was not perfect in the
sense that he was sinless, but he was an upright man. One that
feared God and one that avoided evil. Or even Noah. What did the scripture say about
Noah? It was said of Noah that Noah was a just man and perfect
in his generation. Listen, Simeon feared God. He
avoided evil. I suspect if you bought something
off Simeon, you didn't have to count your change when he gave
it back to you. You didn't have to worry about,
listen, he was just and right in his dealings with men. I don't
doubt that Simeon paid his bills on time. If he was an employee,
he probably showed up to work on time and he probably didn't
try to scoot out early, right? He wasn't stealing ink pens and
he was a good employee. If he was a boss, I suspect that
the men and women that worked for him probably were thankful
to work for a man like Simeon. Is there anything wrong with
that? Would there be anything wrong if that was said about
any of God's people? In fact, shouldn't that be said?
Shouldn't that be true of God's people? But now listen, let's
not get ourselves caught up in thinking this, that this is how
a man is justified in the sight of Almighty God. Paul writing
to the Romans, he said, therefore by the deeds of the law, what
did he say? There shall be no flesh justified
in his sight. And listen. Listen. Behold. Do
you still have the text? Luke 2 verse 25. What's one of the first things
we read here that's said of Simeon? It says, Behold there was a man. Behold there was a man. Though described as a man that
feared God. a man that worshiped God, a man
that reverence God. Yet this one thing is true of
Simeon. He was a man. He was a man. And listen, it's
been said, the best of men are men at best. David said this. He said, what is man? What is
man that thou art mindful of him? In God's Word, we read that
man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. What else does the Scripture
say about man? Listen, it declares this, that by one man's disobedience,
many were made sinners. By Adam's sin, by Adam's fall,
We were made to be the same thing. We were made sinners. In Job 15 and verse 16 it says
this, how much more abominable and filthy is man which drinketh
iniquity like water. Man was created back there in
the garden, created holy and upright, but listen, became a
sinner through the fall. When Adam fell, we all fell. Wherefore, as by one man, sin
entered into the world, and death by sin. So death passed upon
all men. For listen, for all have sinned. There's no exceptions made there
either. All have sinned. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. Man is born in sin. David said
this in Psalm 51 verse 5. He said, Behold, I was shapen
in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. And how sinful
is man? Listen, what happened in the
garden? Did man just stomp his toe or did he completely fall? That's what the scriptures declare.
Man doesn't need a little fixing up. Man is dead, dead in trespasses
and sin. Back there, the last time God
destroyed this world, this is what he said. He said this of
man. He said, every imagination of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil continuation. That's what God saw. God who
sees all things. Huh? Listen, don't take my word
for it. Turn back there to Genesis. Genesis
chapter 6 and verse 5. Genesis 6 verse 5, God saw that
the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination
of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. What else do we read in scriptures?
God's word says this of man. It says they are all together
become filthy. It says there's none good. It
says there's none righteous. It says this, that men are dead
having no hope and without God in this world. And though we
may seek to justify ourselves and compare ourselves with each
other. Can you imagine a maggot comparing
itself to another maggot thinking, I don't look that bad, right?
That's easy to say for a maggot, isn't it? What must man look like in the
sight of Almighty God who sees all things? In the sight of God. Listen, are you listening? In
God's sight. It says this, that every mouth
is going to be stopped and the whole world declared guilty. Guilty before Almighty God. And by the deeds of the law,
by our doing and by our dying, there shall be no flesh justified. not in His sight, not in the
sight of Almighty God. Listen, that which is maybe in
our eyes, we can write a pretty good resume, can't we? We can
clean ourselves up and we can look pretty nice in the sight
of man. But listen, that which is highly esteemed among men,
it's an abomination, an absolute abomination in the sight of Almighty
God. Behold, there was a man, a man
in Jerusalem named Simeon. Listen, the patriarchs, the prophets,
the apostles, those martyred, the reformers, every last one
of them, all sinners in the sight of Almighty God. All have sinned
and come short of the glory of God. And listen, our only hope,
we have but one hope, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. Look back at our text again here,
Luke 2, 25. It says here that here we read he was waiting,
this man named Simeon, he was waiting for the consolation of
Israel. and the Holy Ghost was upon him,
waiting for the consolation of Israel. That word consolation,
it means the comfort of Israel, that which affords comfort, that
which brings comfort. And he was waiting. Turn with me to Psalm chapter
27. Look at verse 14. The very last verse, Psalm 27. Wait on the Lord. Wait on the
Lord. Be of good courage. He shall
strengthen thine heart. Wait. Wait, I say, on the Lord. You ever repeat yourself to your
kids? Huh? Trying to emphasize something?
That's what we're told here, wait, wait on the Lord. And that's what Simeon was doing
there. And you know, is it any wonder
that David repeats himself here because that word wait, it certainly
goes against our nature, doesn't it? We don't wait on anything,
do we? But listen, wait on the Lord,
waiting for the comfort of Israel, the peace of Israel. He's the
God of all comfort. We read in the scriptures. What
does God tell His people, His ministers to do? Comfort ye,
comfort ye my people. Speak comfortably. Simeon was
waiting. I don't know how long he'd been
waiting, but he was waiting for the consolation of Israel. And
it says the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto
him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's
Christ. And he came by the Spirit into
the temple. Another interpretation says this,
he was brought. He was brought by the Spirit
into the temple. My friends, if we're ever going
to hear him, We're going to have to be brought to him, brought
by the Spirit into the temple. No man can come unto me except
the Father which hath sent me draw him, bring him to me. In
another place, in John 6, it says, all that the Father hath
given me shall come to me. He brings his sheep to him, so
he draws them. You know, I don't know what Simeon's
motivation was for going to the temple that day, but I know this,
it was the Spirit of God that brought him there. Consider yourselves. Speaking for myself, the first
time I heard the gospel, I didn't end up in that place because
I thought, wow, they're preaching the gospel there. I came because
I wanted to sit with Abby, with my wife, and maybe grab some
ice cream afterwards. And yet the Lord was pleased to reveal the gospel to me. I've
got a dear brother and friend." And the Lord took him in combat
all the way around the other side of this world. And he told
me he sat up on a rooftop with a friend of his, listening to
a message. And that's where he heard the
gospel. God draws His people to Himself. Throughout the Scriptures
you see this. He either takes the gospel to
them, or He brings them to His messenger. You know, I believe it was Spurgeon. Spurgeon was walking to a service
one night and a snowstorm hit. And he ended up in a place that
he didn't plan on being and it was there, it was there that
God revealed the gospel to him. Listen, the Spirit of God, it's
the Spirit of God that quickens, that gives life, that regenerates,
that gives life. And if a man is to be saved from
sin, He must be effectually quickened by the Spirit of God. He must
be given life. Paul said this in Ephesians 2.1.
You, you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sin. Turn with me to John, John chapter
3. Let's begin with verse five.
John chapter three, verse five. Jesus answered, verily, verily,
I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of
the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is
spirit. Marvel not, I said unto thee, ye must be born again.
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof,
but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth.
So is everyone. that is born of the Spirit of
God. A new nature, a nature that loves
God. And the Spirit of God, like the
wind, it can't be seen. It can't be seen, but listen,
the power and the work of it is evident. A strong wind blows
by, you may not see it, but you'll see the evidence of it. and like
the wind. We have no control over it. We saw some, I think coming this
way, some wind farms and they put these big windmills up. Well,
they can collect it, but they sure can't control where it's
blown, right? It's sovereign beyond man's control. It blows where it listeth. It blows where it pleases. And it's irresistible, like the
Spirit of God. And it comes in power, subduing
and conquering, listen, all that it comes in contact with. Jonah
saw that. Remember that Jonah tried to
run and hide from Almighty God. What did he end up saying? He
was brought to this. Salvation. Salvation is of the
Lord. Has that been revealed to you? Has the Spirit of God revealed
that to you, that salvation is of the Lord? Can we cry the same
thing as Jonah, that salvation is of Him? It was revealed to Simeon here
in our text. You're not going to see death
until you've seen the Lord's Christ. Secure, secure in Him. That's consolation, isn't it?
Isn't that consolation? Isn't that comfort? Resting?
Listen, not in anything of ourselves, but resting in Christ and Christ
alone. Remember what Abigail said to
David? She said this, she said, I love
this scripture, the soul of my Lord, shall be bound in the bundle
of life with the Lord thy God." Safe, safe and secure in His
hand. Our Lord said this, He said,
All that the Father hath given me shall come to me, and him
that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. In John 10.28
He said, I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand, safe and secure
in the hand of Almighty God. I wish we could just enter into
that just a little bit. You ever play that game with
your kids and you put a quarter in their hand? I had an uncle
who used to put a quarter in his hand. He said, if you get
it, you can have it. He never could pry that out of
his hand. We're not talking about man's
hand, are we? We're talking about God's hand. He said, no man shall
pluck them out of my hand. We're bound up, bound up safe
and secure in His hand. That's comfort, isn't it? That's
hope, that's rest, that's peace. So listen, there was a man named
Simeon. This man who was known to be
just and devout. This man who was waiting for
the consolation of Israel. This man named Simeon who the
Spirit of God was upon. This man of whom it was revealed
that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord's Christ. Simeon, brought by the Spirit
of God into the temple. His steps as all his people,
ordered of God. And listen, on the day that Mary
and Joseph brought the child Jesus into the temple. Now listen, the natural man looks
at that and says, boy, wasn't he lucky? No such thing was there. This
is one of God's sheep being brought to the Master. Brought face to
face with the Savior. Just as that Samaritan woman
was brought to the well. Remember that? Remember that
Samaritan woman? She went to the well. Why was
she going there? She wasn't going to see the Master. She was going
to draw water. The Lord met her in that place. How about Zacchaeus? The Lord Jesus Christ was coming
through town. Zacchaeus was a man small in
stature. He climbed up in the tree to
see what's going on. I suspect he was just kind of
being a little nosy, huh? Somebody comes to town, I want
to see what's going on here. He climbed up in that tree. And
we read that when the Lord Jesus Christ came to the place, the
very place where he's going to have the Savior revealed to him.
You reckon anything could have ever happened to that sycamore
tree? It had to be right there. Huh? Right there. All kind of
trees may be cut down and knocked down by the wind or whatever,
but not that one. It had to be there. Zacchaeus
is going to be there. The Lord Jesus Christ is going
to cross the path of one of his sheep. In the same manner, in
the same manner here, Simeon is brought to the Lord Jesus
Christ, led to the temple to see the Savior. again. Isn't that our desire? Isn't
that our heart's desire as we've gathered here this morning? To
see a glimpse, just to catch a glimpse of our Master, to see
the Savior, to bring us here to this place to reveal the Lord
Jesus Christ to us in mercy, in grace, in love, to teach us
to teach us of Christ, to give us peace, rest, and hope. Isaiah 54, 13, "...and all thy
children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be thy
peace." Great shall be the peace of thy children. John said the
same thing in the New Testament. He said, "...they shall all be
taught of God, Every man that hath heard of me and hath learned
of the Father cometh unto me." Taught of Christ. Taught of that
one great need. Our need of Him. The sufficiency
of Christ. The hope of Christ. The Scriptures declare Christ
in you the hope of glory, the peace of Christ, that peace which
passeth all understanding. Simeon was taken up with, listen,
one thing. It's taken up with a lot, isn't
it? It's taken up with so much. Back there in Jeremiah we read
this, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom. Let not the mighty
man glory in his might. Let not the rich man glory in
his riches. Listen, all these things, all
these things, wisdom, might, riches, they're here today and
they're gone tomorrow. They fade away just like everything
else in this world. But if we read on in the text,
it says this, Glory in this. If we're going
to glory in anything, let us glory in this, that he understandeth
and knoweth me, that I am the Lord, which exercise loving kindness,
judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things,
these things do I delight." Listen, Simeon wasn't looking to himself.
I find it interesting, if we go back there and we see these
things that were written about Noah and what we read here about
Simeon and Job, it wasn't Job out there saying, this is who
I am. This is what men said of them. They weren't boasting these things
about themselves. It wasn't Simeon saying, I'm
a just man, I'm a devout man. No, the scriptures declared these
things. I don't believe for a minute he was like that Pharisee. Remember
that Pharisee that stood in the temple? He said, I thank the
old God I'm not like other men. I'm not an extortioner. I'm not
unjust. I'm not an adulterer. I'm not
even like this publican sitting over here. No, sir. No, sir. Simeon wasn't looking to himself. Simeon wasn't looking to the
temple. He was in the temple, but he wasn't looking to anything.
He wasn't looking at the windows, the fancy glass or any of that.
No. No. He wasn't looking to the
priest. I'm sure there was a priest wandering around in that temple.
He wasn't looking to the priest. He wasn't looking up to the front
of the church. These are places men say to look, right? No. No. There was one thing needful. In Simeon's day, just as it's
true in our day. Do you have Luke 2, verse 28? Do you still have Luke 2, verse
28? Then, see that word then? When is that? When is this then? It's when he saw him, huh? When
he saw him. Then, took he him up in his arms
and he blessed God. He worshipped Almighty God and
he said, Lord. He said, Master, now, now let
thy servant depart in peace according to thy word. For mine eyes have
seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face
of all the people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the
glory of thy people Israel." Who was Simeon looking to? He
was looking to Christ. Isaiah 45.22, we read this. Look unto me and be ye saved,
all the ends of the earth, for I am God. And listen, there is
none else. There is none else. He saw Him. He saw God in human flesh. He saw the Savior. Christ was
revealed to him and He took him up in His arms and He blessed
God and He said, let me depart in peace. Mine eyes have seen
thy salvation." Now rest assured of this, there is no peace apart
from Christ. Listen, apart from Christ, God
is a consuming fire. That's what the scriptures declare.
But in Christ, listen, we have peace. It's the gospel of peace. Turn with me quickly to Acts
chapter 10. Acts chapter 10. We'll close. We'll begin with verse 36. The Word. The Word which God
sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all. That word
I say you know which was published throughout all Judea and began
from Galilee after the baptism which John preached, how God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power
who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed
of the devil and God was with him. We're witnesses of these
things that he did both in the land of the Jews and Jerusalem
whom they slew. The Lord Jesus Christ, whom they
slew and hanged on a tree, Him, God raised up the third day and
showed Him openly, not to all the people, not to everybody,
but to witnesses chosen, chosen before of God, even to us who
did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead. And He
commanded us to preach unto the people and to testify that it
was He which was ordained of God to be judge of the quick
and dead. To him give all the prophets witness that through
his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive the remission
of sins." The gospel of peace. How is it? How is it that the
believer has peace? Verse 36, he's Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord of all. How is it that we have peace?
Look at verse 39. He suffered and died on the tree. The Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. He was made sin for us. He paid the sin debt, not a down
payment, but paid in full. You know, a down payment does
you good if you've got a little something to finish it off with.
My friends, we don't. We don't. He paid the sin debt
in full. Made sin for us. And as a result,
his sheep go free. He died the just for the unjust. How is it that we have peace?
Look at verse 40. God raised him up, satisfied with his sacrifice. He said this, this is my beloved
son in whom I am well pleased. How is it that we have peace?
Look at verse 41. It's for his people. Chosen of God. Chosen of God. And whosoever believeth in him,
in the Lord Jesus Christ, His people don't have any choice
but to believe Him and to rest in Him. Whosoever believeth in
Him, in Christ, shall receive the remission of sins. There's
no condemnation to them who are in Christ. Well, may we be found. I pray that we might be found
looking to Him, looking to Christ. Listen, not ourselves, not the
priest, not the temple, listen, not anything. Not anything. but looking unto Christ and Christ
alone. Looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith. That's who Simeon was looking
to. He said this, let thy servant depart in peace according to
thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. All right,
may God be pleased to bless his word.